Nightmare Inside a Dream

Imagine a place where the sky is red. The air is filled with thick smog and unpredictable fires can spring up at any moment. People with nowhere to live make tent cities where ever they can find space. At night you never know if the lights will be on so you keep candles on hand just in case. Water is rationed in the smaller communities and towns and can be limited without warning while the elites waste water for entertainment. Does this sound like a place you want to pick up and move to? I didn’t think so, let’s talk about California.

Let’s just admit it folks, Lady California has become a failed state. I personally do not live there but half of my family does and I’ve always considered moving there but right now that is out of the question. What happened? She was always a dream location for people to move to. There have been numerous songs and movie scripts written about moving out west to chase the California dream. It’s the entertainment capital of the world and the weather is just gorgeous. Many people will point to the politics of the state. This is definitely a key driver, but I have an alternate theory for why the California dream has become a nightmare. There’s another layer people are missing. She's a victim of her own perfection. She has what I call the "Utopia Problem". Let me explain.

Check out this clip from Rory Sutherland, explaining how perception and your environment fundamentally alters your willingness to put up with poor service. He talks about how the government agencies you can’t stand, can change how you perceive them by changing their atmosphere. Making the chairs more comfortable or providing special VIP waiting rooms can make the experience just bearable enough that you don’t riot and burn them to the ground after waiting for 4 hours to renew your driver’s license. Take this concept and think about California. California is physically a Utopia. Since the weather is so great, the people are laid back and friendly, and there are so many things to do for entertainment people have put up with incompetent government for decades. Since she has so much to offer there has been no will to preserve her. People will put up with a lot if they are in a state of comfort. This comfortability has led to poor management of California. Bad politicians are a concept, but the California sunshine on your skin is a real tangible thing. The result of all this comfortability is Lady California is literally on fire. The government has become a colossal failure the likes of which we’ve never seen in the United States. Imagine if this happened in say, Syracuse New York where you wake up to grey skies and snow three quarters of the year. There is no way bureaucrats could get away with this while their constituents have to shovel snow out of their driveways through Easter Sunday.

Well, it appears that California has reached the point where the downside has surpassed the upside. No amount of sunshine could stop the mass exodus we’ve seen from her borders in the last year. It appears she's hit rockbottom. California and Governor Newsom are on the verge of a potential divorce and suitors like Larry Elder are hoping to turn things around. There seems to be a tremendous amount of energy to make California simply liveable. I think I can speak for everyone in the rest of the country when I say we are rooting for you California! Watching California turn into a disaster is no fun. It’s like watching the NBA when the Lakers aren’t good, it just doesn’t feel right. I’m hoping for a speedy pivot. If yall can pull it off this Boston boy will take his talents to the left coast and experience the California Dream.